Former Richmond Mayor, Dwight C. Jones called Richmond’s literal and figural division a “tale of two cities” in 2013. Mayor Jones further explained, “It’s almost the tale of two cities…You see all this excitement in downtown Richmond, but just a few miles away you have concentrated poverty to levels that are just unacceptable. Something has to be done.” Michael P. Williams echoes Mayor Jones’ alarm in his 2016 article, “We Remain Two Richmonds,” claiming, “Within vibrant RVA, we raise frequent toasts to a rapidly growing city with an abundance of cultural amenities…and then there’s Richmond, a place where seemingly intractable problems breed a pervasive pessimism.”
Prompt: 1: Show how Richmond became and continues to be a “tale of two cities.”
Prompt 2: What causes and perpetuates the city’s division? Based on our readings and your research, identify and analyze one central, tangible, and seemingly “intractable” problem beyond “racism” for it. Think both historically and presently.
Prompt 3: Show with at least three examples plus support from secondary articles and essays, how the problem you identify causes and continues to “breed a pervasive pessimism.”
Lastly, Prompt 4: as a VCU student, how does this division affect your living here? How does VCU’s presence and expansion as well as your being a student here perpetuate the problem or help alleviate it? Show tangible examples with researched support.
Sample Solution